Title: Brave New World
Author: Aldous Huxley
Publisher: Blackbirds
Edition: first edition 1932
Number of pages: 196
Title Explanation;
The title, Brave new world, is a quote from Shakespeare’s the Tempest; ‘O brave new world, that has such people in it’. One of the main characters, John the Savage, quotes it to express a sense of cheerfulness when he is told of the modern world outside the reserve he lives in. When he finds out that the modern world is a society based on principles such as ‘everyone belongs to everyone else’, he uses the quote in a sarcastic way, because he feels that there is no freedom in a civilisation like that.
Genre: Science-fiction
Location; The story is set mostly in London and New Mexico ( Malpais, the reserve).
It’s quite important to know where the story is set because John, the savage from the reserve, is both in London and in the reserve in the story. The events are related to where the characters are in the story, so therefore it is, in some cases, hard to understand the story.
Time; The time is set in the future, in 632 After Ford (AF is the year 2535). It is very important to know that the story is set in the future, because the entire book is a warning for what can happen to societies, to mankind. Realising that the book is set in the future is crucial, because specific events wouldn’t make sense in a book that is set in the present. For example the conditioning of children in their sleep.
The story is told in chronological order, except for one flashback in john’s youth.
Main characters;
Bernard Marx; Bernard is an Alpha, but is quite different from the other alpha’s, and the rest of the society, for that matter. He is different in the way he looks; he’s a bit shorter than normal Alpha’s. He also falls in love, which is rare. He has individualistic idea’s, which are not done in a society where there is a great sense of togetherness. ‘Everyone has a role in society, even Epsilons’. Because of this, Bernard cannot deal with his sense of individualism, and it makes him feel miserable. Feeling miserable in the Modern World is also quite peculiar, so Bernard really is an outcast .
Lenina Crowne; She is a well-conditioned Beta woman. She doesn’t understand Bernard’s individualism, because she’s been conditioned otherwise. Lenina Crowne does actually fall in love, however, with John the Savage, and is also a bit attracted to Bernard in spite of his peculiarity.
Linda ; Linda is John’s mother. She was born in the World Society, but brought to the reserve because she became pregnant, which is unacceptable in that society. She tells John stories about the World Society and how great it is, which leads John to think that it is a marvellous place. But later he is disappointed.
John the savage; He’s the Linda’s son. Sons are also quite odd in the Modern World, because women don’t get pregnant anymore. He was born in Malpais, in the Reserve, the only part of the world untouched by the modern society. He finds emotion, freedom, individuality and knowledge to be very important, but these principles are despised in the World Society, because they ‘undermine the Stability’. Therefore John has a sense of antipathy towards the modern world.
2. A short outline of the story
The year is 623 after Ford. There is a new World Society, with the motto; Community, Identity, Stability. Everyone belongs to everyone else, everyone has a function in society and individuality is out of the question. People are made in five classes, alphas to epsilons, all of them with a specific function in the society. Everyone is conditioned to feel a sense of togetherness. Bernard is an outcast, who is rather individualistic and feels miserable because of it. He and a girl he’s with, Lenina, go on vacation to a reserve in New Mexico, the only place left on Earth untouched by the World Society.
Lenina, a well-conditioned woman, is astonished and disgusted by the indians that live in the reserve. They do not condition their children, they’re dirty and they have all kinds of primitive traditions. In the reserve, Bernard and Lenina meet Linda and John. Linda used to live in the World Society, but was left behind in the reserve because she became pregnant, which is unacceptable in the modern world. Bernard and linda take Linda and John with them, back to the modern world. Linda dies because of an overdose of soma ( a drug that makes you feel cheerful), and John finds out that this ‘Brave new world’ is nothing like he thought it was, nothing like his mother had told him. He cares passionately about freedom, individuality, etc. but in the World Society, everyone belongs to everyone else. He despises this new world, and commits suicide in a remote location after being sent there for undermining the stability of the Society ( he was preaching freedom and individuality, rendering weeks of conditioning useless).
3. Perspective
The story is told by an omniscient narrator. The feelings and thougts of a variety of people are being described.
4. Themes
The two themes I have chosen for this book are;
- Anti-Utopia or dystopia
- Purpose of life
The book is a representation of Huxley’s ideas on a society which is using science as a weapon to completely control people. In the book, pretty much everyone in the World Society completely embraces the motto of the society and it’s principles. There are no individuals, everyone has a function. This is a clear warning of what can happen; people can lose their sense of self. This is an idea of a dystopia, an anti-utopian society or civilisation. The main characters live in this society, but because they’re not individuals but part of a bigger system.
Another theme that this book presents is the purpose of life. Huxley shows a contrast between the individual and the society. In the book all the people have a clear idea of what their purpose is; to do their job and to function in the society for stability. Whilst John, the individual in this example, realises that the purpose in life is to enjoy, to know, to learn, to live.
Author: Aldous Huxley
Publisher: Blackbirds
Edition: first edition 1932
Number of pages: 196
Title Explanation;
The title, Brave new world, is a quote from Shakespeare’s the Tempest; ‘O brave new world, that has such people in it’. One of the main characters, John the Savage, quotes it to express a sense of cheerfulness when he is told of the modern world outside the reserve he lives in. When he finds out that the modern world is a society based on principles such as ‘everyone belongs to everyone else’, he uses the quote in a sarcastic way, because he feels that there is no freedom in a civilisation like that.
Genre: Science-fiction
It’s quite important to know where the story is set because John, the savage from the reserve, is both in London and in the reserve in the story. The events are related to where the characters are in the story, so therefore it is, in some cases, hard to understand the story.
Time; The time is set in the future, in 632 After Ford (AF is the year 2535). It is very important to know that the story is set in the future, because the entire book is a warning for what can happen to societies, to mankind. Realising that the book is set in the future is crucial, because specific events wouldn’t make sense in a book that is set in the present. For example the conditioning of children in their sleep.
The story is told in chronological order, except for one flashback in john’s youth.
Main characters;
Bernard Marx; Bernard is an Alpha, but is quite different from the other alpha’s, and the rest of the society, for that matter. He is different in the way he looks; he’s a bit shorter than normal Alpha’s. He also falls in love, which is rare. He has individualistic idea’s, which are not done in a society where there is a great sense of togetherness. ‘Everyone has a role in society, even Epsilons’. Because of this, Bernard cannot deal with his sense of individualism, and it makes him feel miserable. Feeling miserable in the Modern World is also quite peculiar, so Bernard really is an outcast .
Lenina Crowne; She is a well-conditioned Beta woman. She doesn’t understand Bernard’s individualism, because she’s been conditioned otherwise. Lenina Crowne does actually fall in love, however, with John the Savage, and is also a bit attracted to Bernard in spite of his peculiarity.
Linda ; Linda is John’s mother. She was born in the World Society, but brought to the reserve because she became pregnant, which is unacceptable in that society. She tells John stories about the World Society and how great it is, which leads John to think that it is a marvellous place. But later he is disappointed.
John the savage; He’s the Linda’s son. Sons are also quite odd in the Modern World, because women don’t get pregnant anymore. He was born in Malpais, in the Reserve, the only part of the world untouched by the modern society. He finds emotion, freedom, individuality and knowledge to be very important, but these principles are despised in the World Society, because they ‘undermine the Stability’. Therefore John has a sense of antipathy towards the modern world.
2. A short outline of the story
The year is 623 after Ford. There is a new World Society, with the motto; Community, Identity, Stability. Everyone belongs to everyone else, everyone has a function in society and individuality is out of the question. People are made in five classes, alphas to epsilons, all of them with a specific function in the society. Everyone is conditioned to feel a sense of togetherness. Bernard is an outcast, who is rather individualistic and feels miserable because of it. He and a girl he’s with, Lenina, go on vacation to a reserve in New Mexico, the only place left on Earth untouched by the World Society.
3. Perspective
The story is told by an omniscient narrator. The feelings and thougts of a variety of people are being described.
4. Themes
The two themes I have chosen for this book are;
- Anti-Utopia or dystopia
- Purpose of life
The book is a representation of Huxley’s ideas on a society which is using science as a weapon to completely control people. In the book, pretty much everyone in the World Society completely embraces the motto of the society and it’s principles. There are no individuals, everyone has a function. This is a clear warning of what can happen; people can lose their sense of self. This is an idea of a dystopia, an anti-utopian society or civilisation. The main characters live in this society, but because they’re not individuals but part of a bigger system.
Another theme that this book presents is the purpose of life. Huxley shows a contrast between the individual and the society. In the book all the people have a clear idea of what their purpose is; to do their job and to function in the society for stability. Whilst John, the individual in this example, realises that the purpose in life is to enjoy, to know, to learn, to live.
REACTIES
:name
:name
:comment
1 seconde geleden